Please raise your hand for me if you grew up on fairy tales. Be it Disney based or Grimm based or Hans Christian Anderson based, they all had one thing in common. No matter how dire the circumstances, love always finds a way. A beautiful sentiment, wouldn’t you say?

Even in my 30′s, I am still in hot pursuit, not of my prince, for I was fortunate to not only find him but keep him, but of trying to come across the ultimate fairy tale. I dream of capturing and writing about the awe and magic of what I once felt as a child. Only from an adult point of view. Which means a very wicked, very warped and very devious point of view. That includes sex. Which I think is something we as adults can relate to so much more than a traditional fairy tale. But here’s a question for you. Should we, as adults, be turning our backs on fairy tales? Before you answer, allow me to throw this at you.

You all remember the Frog Prince Tale, yes? Of course you do. The Princess happens upon a slimy, little frog when she loses her golden ball in a pond. She asks for its help in retrieving it, but alas, the frog refuses to cooperate unless she makes out with him. The Princess is naturally disgusted by his proposition but a golden ball is worth a lot of money. So she compromises herself in the name of said golden ball and kisses him. Then lo and behold! He turns into a gorgeous prince. Ah, yes. If only relationships were really THAT simple.

For a child, the idea of a frog turning into a prince due to a simple kiss is a form of magic that feeds their vivid imagination and allows them to pursue dreams. But for an adult? It’s freakin’ absurd. Which is why it’s no surprise romance novels are scoffed at by our society. They seem unrealistic, too romantic and childish. This day and age, money is what defines success. Not love. The idea of love, romance and family is being assassinated and replaced by CEO businessocracy. Slaving over a business leaves little to no time for love, yet alone family and that’s supposed to be okay. Sadly, due to the hardships in life, we as a society have allowed this warped perspective to take over our lives and in turn have left behind the idea of the fairy tale. We forget that its purpose was to teach us life lessons about life and love. A lesson we all could use. The story of the Frog Prince was told to demonstrate the power of trust and the power of a kiss. That a kiss can cause one to close their eyes one moment and when it was over and the eyes are re-opened, an emotional connection occurs that changes everything. The princess wanted a prince, so she got one. In the most unexpected of places. A lily pond. Something we as cynical adults can learn from.

Now what is fascinating about the Frog Prince Tale is that whoever wrote the story actually knew something that most people didn’t. That a frog CAN turn into a prince. How? There are certain frogs, like the Bufo Marinus, which secrete a toxin that wards off predators and when licked (or kissed as in this case) it causes the burning of one’s skin, the burning of one’s eyes which may or may not lead to hallucinations. So sadly, the heat rising through the body of our princess had nothing to do with passion or love whatsoever. And the prince didn’t actually exist. But the frog did!! How is THAT for a fairy tale? All that really matters, though, in the end, is that she lived happily ever after. Even if it was with a frog.

So my question to you today is this. Do you remember what your favorite fairy tale was and why? And more importantly, do you still believe in happily ever afters or are you one of THOSE? My hope is that regardless of the journey you are on that you try to take the time to relive the magic and awe that love has to offer. Go forth, find that bloody lily pond (or romance novel) and dip your toe into it. Better yet, go skinny dipping. Either way, don’t fall into the conspiracy of trying to kill fairy tales. For in the end, you are only killing your own hopes and dreams of having a happily ever after.